One of the most important things aspiring filmmakers need to learn is to create a story on a budget, as it is always a big concern. Following in the vein of Robert Rodríguez’s smart production ‘El Mariachi’, below are the 7 important steps to making low-budget movies.
- Collaboration– You have to be extremely resourceful. Collaborate with ambitious movie-makers like you. Give to receive. If you need an editor for your film, collaborate with someone who is new and trying to make a mark or someone who is still learning the tricks of the trade at any film university in India or abroad. I would be someone who would do everything possible in editing your movie. Similarly, if you need a sound artist, look for someone who is young, fresh, and wants to get noticed. If you want to get noticed, it will probably also work for free to keep you tidy when it comes to budgeting. Try to get everyone involved, but be very honest and say if you have no money. The people who still join you would be the most passionate guys out there.
- Shoot with what you got– One of the main concerns of students is that they don’t have the latest Canon 5D Mark III or that amazing stabilizer, so they won’t be able to shoot. Well, don’t wait for the next big thing to arrive, rather shoot with what you have. For example, forget about a normal DSLR, if you only have an Android phone, write a script that revolves around a guy who loves to make videos on a mobile phone or is a lover of selfies and what if his phone captures a murder during one of those recordings. You can shoot the entire movie from the point of view of a mobile camera.
- Don’t be too ‘shot-focused’– You may want to be the next Nolan or Tarkovsky and there is nothing wrong with being one, but it is very important to convey a story or an idea first. While directing a movie, if you have the most basic shots but are able to convey your story, no one is going to be offended, trust me! In ‘Superman of Malegaon’ the director did not belong to any film school and did not have a budget for a crane or a dolly, so he used a bullock cart and used it as a crane. Instead of a dolly, he took the follow-up shots via bicycle. So what really matters is your output, not how you got it.
- Use the ‘unused’– Are you having difficulty obtaining permission for your next location? Okay, do not worry. Use the location that has been abandoned by everyone. If you want a dhaba for your next session, go to the outskirts of your city, look for a dilapidated property, contact the owner. For him, any amount would be a significant gain for that useless land and for you, you get the maximum of the minimum. Likewise, don’t throw away those worn out old jeans or that unused poly bag. Maybe you can use them in your next psychotic-centric movie.
- Keep it ‘silent’– When shooting outdoors without permits and without crowd management, having a substantial amount of pre-production work is essential. If you go out rolling on a highway and yell instructions at your AD, it is unlikely that you will end up filming peacefully and believe me if the crowd finds out that you are shooting a movie (be it a short film or a feature film). having the least desirable star cast), can be worse than a stampede. Detailed pre-production always results in a better product. A little research on your location would save you a lot of time and money, especially if you’re shooting a low-budget movie. For example, if you want to film a crowd scene, do so ‘warfare’ * style (hide the camera), that is, without the public knowing. In fact, to get the real emotions of real people, just don’t tell them that you are filming. Get them into a situation and then shoot them silently.
- Use your actors / extras with caution– Don’t just fill your script with actors. Always choose actors who look like your characters. This way you can save money on makeup. Also, supporting actors who can bring their own clothes. Save money on costumes. Finding good actors among amateurs is an art. Unless and until you have the resources and budget, choose your cast wisely. Basically, in an 8-10 minute long short film, there should be no more than 2-3 actors, so write your scripts according to the availability of good actors. A bad actor can spoil a very good script, so don’t compromise when it comes to acting.
There may also be scenes where you need to show a lot of EXTRAS. Now this could be tricky. It depends on your vision, your pre-production, and your foreshadowing of the situation. Or you can go ‘Warfare’* style or try to be a little street smart. In the latter scenario, the role of storyboards becomes critical. For example, if you had to fire a protest but didn’t have the budget or the manpower, this becomes a genuine problem for which you need to find a creative solution. For this, you can use a frame where the camera is at a low angle (high angle or eye level can reveal the real number), reproduce real images of the protest on split screen and multiply the sound to create chaos on the part of the protesters.
- Avoid unnecessary verbal diarrhea– Are you having trouble getting sound recorders or microphones? AVOID WRITING DIALOGUES in your script. As I always teach my students, SHOW, DON’T SAY, make your script as visual as possible rather than dialogue. At the end of the day, we tend to forget that the film is an audiovisual medium, that is, we have visual elements to support our concepts. Use metaphors and allegorical references to convey the most difficult feelings. What one can do is first find their own limitations both in terms of budget and space and time, and then write their script. This would help you think in a logical and feasible way.
warfare- Warfare Filmmaking refers to a standalone form of filmmaking characterized by low budgets, skeletal equipment, and simple accessories using whatever is available. Often times scenes are shot quickly in real locations without any warning and without getting filming
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